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Tribune News Network
Doha
“The funding from WISH has been a tremendous help to SOSO Care, as the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted our revenue, almost driving us out of business. This funding has given us a headway to set up a collection process across the Rivers State,” said Nonso Opurum, founder of SOSO Care.
SOSO Care, a young Nigerian start-up, showcased its innovative enterprise at the 2020 World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), Qatar Foundation’s (QF) global health initiative. As a result of participating in the WISH Innovation competition, the start-up won $5,000 for its innovative approach to bringing health insurance to millions of Nigerians.
Founded in September 2019, the fintech social enterprise collects and uses recyclable waste as a financial resource to give millions of uninsured Nigerians, mostly pregnant women and children, access to micro health insurance and care in over 1,000 hospitals in Nigeria. ‘Micro’ refers to the small financial transaction that each health insurance policy generates. The policy, aimed at supporting low-income populations, covers specific benefits that have been prioritised, at extremely affordable premium rates.
The start-up has recently partnered with Hotel Alliance in Rivers, one of Nigeria’s nine crude oil-producing states. A total of 100 hotels operate under the Alliance. The partnership aims to consign 1,590 tonnes of recyclables, including Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles from all hotels to SOSO Care as a CSR initiative. The money generated from the exchange will be used to insure 5,000 vulnerable women and children across orphanage homes in the southern state. With the funding from WISH, SOSO Care was able to start the process of collecting the waste and fuel its operation.
“The impact will not only ensure health inclusion but also mitigate environmental pollution, as plastics that would otherwise end up in landfills or drainages that lead into the ocean will now be recycled and put to good use. We are also hoping to raise additional funds and support to ensure proper evacuation of wastes across the hotels and to replicate the same operational model in two other Nigerian states by the end of April,” says Nonso.
SOSO Care’s business model promotes health inclusion and environmental sustainability.
“Every year, 30 million tonnes of waste is generated around Nigeria, accounting for more than 20 billion plastic PET bottles, of which less than 5 percent is collected and recycled. This creates a huge environmental problem, causing pollution and public health issues, and negatively affects marine life.
“More than 90 percent of Nigeria’s 200 million population does not have access to basic health insurance. With more than 100 million people living below the poverty line, out-of-pocket health financing means more people are dragged into poverty every year from unexpected health spending. Both these problems are catastrophic. We thought of how best to solve them by using one problem to tackle the other, so we created SOSO Care.”
The team’s ambitious plan to make micro health insurance available to everyone is not limited to Nigeria but envisions its reach to cover the whole African population.
“Our mission is to ensure everyone in Africa has access to quality healthcare irrespective of their financial status. This drives us to constantly search for alternative forms of sustainable healthcare financing to ensure access to health for everyone.” SOSO Care is currently focused on securing $250,000 funding to grow their team and improve their operation and waste collection system. The fund will also be used to continue their awareness campaigns, aiming to reach at least 350,000 people before the end of 2021.
WISH Head of Innovation, Mahmoud El Achi, said: “We are very proud of the SOSO Care team, who truly embody the spirit of innovation, with their passion for caring for their fellow humans and the planet. Achieving global health equity is crucial to sustainable development and we have the collective responsibility to ensure that everyone around the world has access to equal and proper healthcare. Through our Innovation Program, we will continue to support healthcare entrepreneurs who share our goal to create a fairer and healthier world.”
The WISH Innovation Programme was formally launched in 2013. To date, 128 innovators from around the world have participated. The programme was expanded last year to incorporate several new incentives and benefits for innovators, including cash prizes, workshops with investors and business mentors, and WISH media support.
Doha
“The funding from WISH has been a tremendous help to SOSO Care, as the COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted our revenue, almost driving us out of business. This funding has given us a headway to set up a collection process across the Rivers State,” said Nonso Opurum, founder of SOSO Care.
SOSO Care, a young Nigerian start-up, showcased its innovative enterprise at the 2020 World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), Qatar Foundation’s (QF) global health initiative. As a result of participating in the WISH Innovation competition, the start-up won $5,000 for its innovative approach to bringing health insurance to millions of Nigerians.
Founded in September 2019, the fintech social enterprise collects and uses recyclable waste as a financial resource to give millions of uninsured Nigerians, mostly pregnant women and children, access to micro health insurance and care in over 1,000 hospitals in Nigeria. ‘Micro’ refers to the small financial transaction that each health insurance policy generates. The policy, aimed at supporting low-income populations, covers specific benefits that have been prioritised, at extremely affordable premium rates.
The start-up has recently partnered with Hotel Alliance in Rivers, one of Nigeria’s nine crude oil-producing states. A total of 100 hotels operate under the Alliance. The partnership aims to consign 1,590 tonnes of recyclables, including Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles from all hotels to SOSO Care as a CSR initiative. The money generated from the exchange will be used to insure 5,000 vulnerable women and children across orphanage homes in the southern state. With the funding from WISH, SOSO Care was able to start the process of collecting the waste and fuel its operation.
“The impact will not only ensure health inclusion but also mitigate environmental pollution, as plastics that would otherwise end up in landfills or drainages that lead into the ocean will now be recycled and put to good use. We are also hoping to raise additional funds and support to ensure proper evacuation of wastes across the hotels and to replicate the same operational model in two other Nigerian states by the end of April,” says Nonso.
SOSO Care’s business model promotes health inclusion and environmental sustainability.
“Every year, 30 million tonnes of waste is generated around Nigeria, accounting for more than 20 billion plastic PET bottles, of which less than 5 percent is collected and recycled. This creates a huge environmental problem, causing pollution and public health issues, and negatively affects marine life.
“More than 90 percent of Nigeria’s 200 million population does not have access to basic health insurance. With more than 100 million people living below the poverty line, out-of-pocket health financing means more people are dragged into poverty every year from unexpected health spending. Both these problems are catastrophic. We thought of how best to solve them by using one problem to tackle the other, so we created SOSO Care.”
The team’s ambitious plan to make micro health insurance available to everyone is not limited to Nigeria but envisions its reach to cover the whole African population.
“Our mission is to ensure everyone in Africa has access to quality healthcare irrespective of their financial status. This drives us to constantly search for alternative forms of sustainable healthcare financing to ensure access to health for everyone.” SOSO Care is currently focused on securing $250,000 funding to grow their team and improve their operation and waste collection system. The fund will also be used to continue their awareness campaigns, aiming to reach at least 350,000 people before the end of 2021.
WISH Head of Innovation, Mahmoud El Achi, said: “We are very proud of the SOSO Care team, who truly embody the spirit of innovation, with their passion for caring for their fellow humans and the planet. Achieving global health equity is crucial to sustainable development and we have the collective responsibility to ensure that everyone around the world has access to equal and proper healthcare. Through our Innovation Program, we will continue to support healthcare entrepreneurs who share our goal to create a fairer and healthier world.”
The WISH Innovation Programme was formally launched in 2013. To date, 128 innovators from around the world have participated. The programme was expanded last year to incorporate several new incentives and benefits for innovators, including cash prizes, workshops with investors and business mentors, and WISH media support.
